Category Archives: Play
Some Snowy Day Fun!
So today Ryan and I spent the whole day having some fun making Man Bicep shirts….ok toward the end I got worn out and grumpy about the tedium of working with Photoshop, but all in all it was fun.
PLUS, I think the shirts are pretty amusing. Check them out and let me know what you think! Also, more to come shortly!!! đ
Relaxing in Cali
Today Ryan took me for my first ever massage and then we went for a 17 mile bike ride. A perfect day of relaxation and rehab!
I must admit that I have a very hard time fully relaxing, which is probably why I’ve never gotten a massage before. I’m a super type A personality and have a hard time doing absolutely nothing. Even today, during the massage, I analyzed what the massues was doing and had to kept reminding myself to relax and stop thinking. haha
Although I do now wish I could have talked to him about the alignment of my body and the areas that were tight. It was interesting to feel the massues work. Like instantly he realized that one side of my lumbo pelvic hip complex was tighter than the other and began to stretch it (I know when one side gets tighter than the other because one pants leg feels just a teeny bit shorter…).
Anyway, besides being relaxing I loved seeing the knowledge of the human body that the massues had. AND I found the bike ride to be almost equally as relaxing as the massage. It was great to just ride casually. It was super peaceful.
All in all a great way to relax my mind and body and rehab from a couple of very grueling months. Plus, it was nice to get outside and enjoy some warmer weather before we go back to the cold of Boston!
Man Bicep Push Up Craze!!!
Where do you do your push ups!?! Send us a picture for a Man Bicep t-shirt.
One-upping the Planking Craze
So we made good on our vow to do push ups around Boston and start the Man Bicep push up trend! Here are some pictures we took while celebrating Candy’s birthday!
The first one of the day was done by Candy on the MBTA.
Rocking the MB shirt AND receiving compliments about her perfect push up from men on the T.
Next we stopped at a candy shop called Sugar Heaven on Boylston St. Brian wanted to show Candy a shirt he had considered buying for her as a joke.
A nice deep push up right by the M&Ms. Not something they often see in a candy store.
The next one we snapped was not in the most hygienic place….
Don't worry...there was lots of hand scrubbing afterwards.
We then took a nice walk to a bar called Whiskeys. Where I did a nice push up between booths.
A nice wide grip push up. A slight incline so easier than some that we did later.
Candy figured out a way to make the booth push up harder by putting her feet on the back of the booth.
Notice the very impressed guy in the background.
We then had to get our Man Bicep Coach involved. He did a very impressive weighted push up outside of the restaurant.
We got numerous strange looks...
Next we met up with a co-worker who we convinced to do a push up on the street. A homeless woman was so impressed that she walked up and gave Alyson a hug before anyone knew what was going on.
She didn't even falter when Brian through a purse on her.
Our next stop was Rattlesnakes’ roof deck. Candy pulled off a staircase push up.
I think the hardest part of this push up was getting up there.
After leaving the roof deck, we attempted a stacked push up out on the street. We all ended up collapsing so I’m not totally sure this one counts…
Push up pile up.
After that failed push up attempt, I did a decline push up from a bike rack. Brian decided it wasn’t hard enough and push down on my back for added resistance.
Mid push up...on the way back up.
And the last push up of the night….on a pizza shop counter. (We did get permission before we attempted this one. The employees were impressed as you can see!) đ
We had a lot of explaining to do to be allowed to do this one!
So now everyone must go out and do push ups in random places!!! We must start the Man Bicep Push up trend! No more stupid planking! haha
Send us a picture of your push up and we will send you a Man Bicep t-shirt!!! đ
Pictures from California
Paddle Boarding - My Man Bicep Pose
Ryan and his mom
Bike riding on day 2
That was the good…now for the bad…
My Carrot Cake Cupcakes!
The Side Street Cinnamon Roll that we ate before I could remember to take a picture.
Yummy margaritas and guacamole.
The Chimichanga that was the end of me.
And that basically outlines the entire trip aside from the lounging at the pool! đ
Being Primal – Easier in Warm Weather?
So Mark Sisson in his Primal Blueprint recommends that you “play” a certain amount each day. And he defines play as something active aka not watching TV. He wants you to get outside and do something that is defined as “active leisure.”
Which in theory is great.
BUT that isn’t easy in a place that doesn’t stay warm for more than two months especially if you aren’t that fond of the cold. At least I haven’t found it that easy to be extra active during the winter time, which means active play (especially outdoors) is usually restricted to the warm weather (which in Boston is about two months out of the year).
You can go skiing and try to do some indoor sports, but these things aren’t necessarily readily available in Boston nor are they necessarily easily affordable for everyone. They aren’t near as accessible as say outdoor activities are in California all year around.
Which makes me want to move to California because it is sooooo freaking easy to live an active, primal lifestyle. You can go bike riding and swimming and paddle boarding (which I’m obsessed with). You can play basketball or baseball or Ultimate (which Mark is obsessed with). Or you can simply go for a stroll outside all year around!
So I ask myself…if I love the Primal lifestyle, “Do I need to move some place that is warm all year around?” How can I be more active during the cold winters here other than just working out a ton, which I already do?
Man Bicep Mom – Bonding
Here is another post by the Man Bicep Mom!
I was a lucky kid. My dad loved doing things with my sister and me. We washed cars, raked leaves and exercised.
I loved it! What could be better â exercise and being with my dad!
My father got us involved in competitive sports while I was in elementary school. I was a speed skater (ice skater) during the winter and a tennis player during the summer.
Competing in sports outside of school was pretty unusual for girls of my generation. But I loved it! It made me feel so good. I immediately felt those endorphins at work.
My dad designed training workouts for us. Now remember, these were the days before the computer and all the study into exercise physiology. My dad was very innovative and actually quite progressive. He had us pushing furniture, which he had put on wood runners, around the basement. As we pushed, we yelled, “Push-em-magonga.”
We had so much fun! I have such fond memories. Thanks Dad!
At some point, while I trained and competed and laughed with my dad, I decided that I wanted to do the same thing with my kids when I had them. I knew that my father and I had done more than just train and compete in a sport. We had done some big time bonding. I could talk to my dad about anything, and I did. This relationship has continued throughout my adult life. My dad and I are best friends.
So did I follow through on my resolve? I did. I took my daughters, Cori and Drew, out to the tennis court when they were only 3 years old. We would hit tennis balls for 15 minutes and then go play on the playground. The joke was that I preferred to play tennis over Barbie dolls.
We played tennis, swam, rode bikes, hiked, raked leaves and washed cars. And we talked – a lot. We talked about everything. Conversation was easy and natural. We did some big time bonding.
And the outcome? Well, Cori went on to play Division I tennis in college and is now your Man Bicep guru. Drew decided she preferred music to tennis and switched to dance for her exercise. But in high school she decided to join the tennis team and greatly enjoyed the experience. Even though she is a musician, Drew continues to exercise.
When we all get together we play tennis, go for long walks and do a lot of talking. We are all best friends.
So, my message here is â be active with your kids. You don’t have to be involved in competitive sports. Just get your kids exercising. Go for walks. Take them to the gym with you. It’s great bonding time! And maybe, just maybe, you’ll turn them on to exercise as a way of life.
Baked Goods and Biking and Paddle Boarding…Oh My!
So yesterday I rode a real bike for the first time in like 8 years…and I got a flat tire about 5 miles into the ride. BOO!
Luckily we were down at the beach and a very short walk from the place where we were going to go paddle boarding in the harbor. Ryan, his mom and I all went. It was a ton of fun! AND Ryan’s mom stood up like two seconds into our trip! I have wonderful pictures that I’ll have to post later once I get them developed. I bought a waterproof disposable camera (haven’t used one of those in FOREVER)…it was probably a very good thing I bought one of those considering my luck with the flat tire!
After our bike ride and hour of paddle boarding, I came back and baked for Ryan’s birthday. I made Red Velvet cupcakes and Carrot Cake cupcakes. They looked BEAUTIFUL if I do say so myself! I have pictures of them also which I’ll upload later. My baked goods will keep Ryan and I from ever becoming too thin. And after a long month of dieting and a very active day, the baked goods were well deserved! đ
And this morning, because Ryan and I are both still on East Coast time, we were up way before anyone else. So we went for another bike ride. (I’m super obsessed now with bike riding!!!) We went for a wonderful 12 mile ride around the Back Bay.
This is where we rode. BEAUTIFUL!
So now, tired after the bike ride with a slightly sore butt, we are planning to go to this DELICIOUS (and very unhealthy) breakfast place called Side Street Cafe. The cinnamon rolls are to die for and, I feel, very well deserved after the ride! đ
Rest
When people talk about exercising and getting great results, they often don’t often mention “rest.” But getting enough rest is really key to getting the results you want.
Rest is when the body repairs and strengthens itself. Every time you workout, you break down your muscles. If you don’t rest, they won’t rebuild and get stronger. If you don’t give your body enough rest, you may be hindering your own progress!
The reason I’m even thinking about “rest” right now is because I’m going on vacation on Wednesday. Sometimes it takes a vacation to get me to take a few days off from working out/lifting. I don’t like not working out!
And I don’t mean that I won’t workout or be active over my vacation. I just mean I won’t lift weights. Rest doesn’t have to mean being a couch potato (even though that can be fun sometimes too!). Active rest can be just as effective if not more so at times.
Give your body a break from the usual grind. For me it means backing off the weights for more than a day or two. It means nice easy rides along the beach, paddle boarding and hikes. It means maybe doing only one crossfit outside in the California sun (mostly just because I love working up a sweat in the sun)!
So remember, working out super hard in the gym is only one piece of the puzzle. You also need to take some time off. If you aren’t seeing the results you want, take a look at how many days you’ve taken off recently. Lack of rest may be the issue!!
Realizing the benefits
It’s one thing for a client to see her weight dropping when she steps on the scale, and it’s a whole other ballgame when a client realizes how much stronger she feels performing day-to-day life tasks because of her workouts!
Yesterday Lois had that epiphany.
Over the weekend she went to see her granddaughter. She picked her up and carried her. She chased and played with her. She spent almost the whole weekend on her feet – shopping, hiking and playing.
And yesterday while she was warming up for our session, she says to me “It has never been as easy as it was yesterday to pick up my granddaughter. And I had no problem carrying grocery bags up stairs, and I even went for a hike on Sunday and walked faster than I have in a long time!”
The week before Lois had already seen her weight drop 9lbs, but that hadn’t yet convinced her of how much the workouts were helping.
She said she was excited about losing the weight, but felt disappointed that she always felt so out of shape during the workouts. I told her that I was constantly pushing her and challenging her limits, which was why she didn’t necessarily feel like she was doing “better” during the workouts.
I also pointed out to her that she had in fact made great progress during our workouts. She could now hold a full plank for 30 seconds when before she could only hold one from her toes for about 15 seconds. She could now also hold a wall sit for 3 rounds of 30 seconds when before she couldn’t even hold a wall sit for 5 seconds.
She nodded at me, but she said that while that was all wonderful, the first time she truly felt like she was in better shape was this past weekend with her granddaughter.
I can’t help but smile at her statements because I’ve always believed that you workout so that you can enjoy life more.
So what better reason is there to get in a workout today? Start lifting to live a better life!
Man Bicep 